In Between the Lines
by fishies16
Summary: Brian kidnapps Chloe, but lets her go if she goes into hiding. Alek is heartbroken because he thinks Chloe is dead, but what happens when he sees some very familiar blond hair at the beach?
1. Twisted Love

**In Between the Lines**

**CPOV**

I woke up on the dirty floor of a warehouse. Great. Now, not only had I been kidnapped, but I also had sawdust in my hair.

"Chloe King," a deep male voice said in agony.

"Brian? What is going on?" I replied, deeply confused.

"How could you never tell me? I loved you, and you couldn't even tell me what you really are," Brian said, not even trying to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Oh. I can explain. I couldn't tell anyone. And I don't love you, I love Alek. We should just be…. Well, I was going to say friends, but seeing as you kidnapped me, I don't think so," I said sarcastically.

"I was sent here to kill you Chloe, but I don't think I can. I still think you are a good person, but it isn't love, you were right about that. I'm going to give you another option.

"Okay, I'll bite. What is it?"

"You have to disappear. You can't be in contact with any of your previous companions or anyone you know. And you can't leave San Francisco. You have to watch them live without you," Brian said menacingly.

"What? What are my other options? I asked with tears in my eyes.

"You die, all nine times. Make your decision. Now."

"Okay, I'll take the first one," I said in between sobs.

"Good. Now get out before they come back to check on the progress. Go. NOW!" Brian whisper-shouted with urgency. I wiped my eyes and kicked out a window. Once I was out on the street, I hid behind a building and wrote a letter to Alek, Jasmine, and Valentina. I ran to their apartment building and gave my note to Roger, my good friend who was the doorman there.

"Okay Miss Chloe. I'll give it to them. By the way, Mr. Alek wanted me to send you up if I saw you," Roger told me. I burst into tears and gave him a hug. With that, I left.

**APOV**

Why hadn't Chloe come up yet? I heard her heartbeat only five minutes ago come and leave. A few seconds later, I heard a knock at the door. Opening the door, I saw Roger's confused face and a piece of notebook paper in his hand. He handed it to me and walked back to the elevator. My eyebrows crinkled in confusion as I opened the note.

**Dear Alek, **

**This is probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Brian has kidnapped me, and I am going to die for real today. Don't bother coming after him. Don't throw away your life for a corpse. I will always love you, but don't let this stop your life. I don't think I could bear it if I ruined your life. **

**Forever,**

**Chloe**

I dropped the note and fell to the ground. Jasmine ran in and saw me on the ground. I pushed the note towards her and she read. Jazzy burst into tears and sat down next to him and just cried. Valentina walked in and picked up the note. Just like her daughter, Valentina dropped to the ground and cried too. I couldn't manage a tear though. I was too busy thinking about how I was going to live without my heart, seeing as it is broken.

**CPOV**

I watched from across the street and cried with them. How could I never see them again? And Amy and Paul? Those people were my life. But Alek was my heart. I couldn't even cry anymore. I was too busy thinking about how I was going to live without my heart, seeing as it is broken.


	2. Never Fade

**A/N hey, sorry about how the note was for all of you people who read it before I fixed it. I took care of it, so check it out again if you haven't yet. Anyway, I tried really hard to make this chapter long, but I am just prone to short chapters. I'm sorry, but I will try to make up for it by posting plenty of chapters and posting as frequently as I can. Anyway, welcome to the second chapter of In Between the Lines. **

**Chapter Two**

**APOV**

I would never see her again. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. to never hear her laugh, to never see her eyes twinkle when I talk to her, to never feel her soft lips on mine again…it just wasn't right. It had been five days. For five days I had done nothing but drink spiked Mountain Dew and stare, just waiting for her to come through that door. She would have some excuse, like a road trip with Amy. Yes. A road trip with Amy! I stare at the door and wait for her to come home. That's when I crack. She will never come home. After five days, finally bury my face in my hands and cry. These are the first tears I have shed for Chloe, my lost love.

**CPOV**

I should have just picked death. It couldn't be worse than this. For five days, I have been forced to watch my loved ones, but to never come back to them. Brian never said that I couldn't just start another life, but I could never tear myself away from my family. Each of them copes in a different way. Paul is fine, until he loses it and trashes wherever he is. Valentina meets with other pride leaders to discuss what to do without the Uniter, but has to excuse herself to cry in the bathroom. Jasmine trains harder than I ever thought was possible, even for a Mai. Alek sits in front of the door with a 24-pack of Mountain Dew, a bottle of vodka and he waits. I don't know what he waits for. Does he wait for Brian's corpse? The Guards already found it on the beach three days ago. Does he wait for someone to come in and say that they found me? The question was, dead or alive? Or does he just wait for me to come through the door, after being on some trip with Amy? I chuckle humorlessly, because that is a lost cause. Whitley Rezza already reminded me of the consequences if I went back.

**Flashback**

"Stay back!" I shouted claws up.

"Oh, Chloe. Do you really think that if I wanted to kill you that I would've come alone? Silly you. Even though he is dead, Brian's off seems reasonable, if you wish to continue it. He forgot one thing though: consequences. Here they are. If you disagree to this deal or agree and break it, every person that you love will be brought to your new apartment, dead. You will have to live with the fact that you killed them. So, I believe the question is: deal or no deal?" Whit said in a surprisingly businesslike tone. I closed my eyes and nodded.

"Very good."

When I opened my eyes, the only thing that was left of Whitley Rezza was the faint smell of peppermint.

**End Flashback**

This sucks. If you wanted to take all of my feelings, downplay them by 10,000,000 and you would have those two words. The difficult part hasn't even come yet; school starts tomorrow. I already made sure that I had only one class with Alek and changed my name at registration, but they couldn't get me out of lunch with allofthem. That would be an adventure. The only part that was easy was the job thing. "Chloe King" might be dead, but "Natasha Waterhouse" was very much alive and ready to work. I hopped into my new Honda Civic and drove to the mall. Hood up, I bought a brown wig and some dark gray contacts. My same clothes would work if I mixed up the combinations. With that, I left and waited at my apartment for tomorrow. **(A/N****Chloe****'****s****apartment**

**nt is one floor down from Alek's, and she is legally emancipated.) **

**APOV**

Today was the first day of junior year. It's just eight hours, and then I could go home and sulk.

"Are you ready? We're picking up Amy and Paul too. We all need to stick together," Jasmine mumbled. This was the first time that we had spoken since Chloe's death.

"Of course," I looked at her and attempted a smile. It was more of a grimace.

30 minutes of complete silence later, we were at the high school. I took a deep breath and we stepped out of my deep blue Audi r8. We all walked up to the receptionist to get our schedules. My first class is English with Mr. Fields. With a quick wave to Jazzy, Amy and Paul, I was off to room 22 for the beginning of a torturous day.

**CPOV**

The dreaded class. Not only was Mr. Fields rumored to be a psychopath, but this was my only class with Alek. It didn't help that Mr. Fields made me say my name to the class and then proceed to ask me how many pancakes could cover an outhouse if a sign was on fire in Nebraska. Apparently, the correct answer was 27. During the whole thing, Alek was staring at me. I put my head down and walked to my seat quickly. If this is what happens during one class period, I was dreading our hour-long lunch.

**APOV**

She looked so familiar. Natasha Waterhouse had thick, wavy, glossy, dark brown hair. Her gray eyes had way too much sadness in them for someone her age. Hmm, we match. Finally, she had a pair of red glasses perched delicately on her nose. So familiar, yet I can't put my finger on it. She caught me staring during Crazy- Fields' introduction ritual. Something about pancakes and outhouses. It was the mouth, or maybe the nose. Yes! The slope of the nose was what I recognized. It looked just like…never mind. Finally, I tuned out and spent the rest of the day dreaming about Chloe, my forever. It was the eyes that got me. No matter if they are glowing and sparkling or glaring me down, they were always Tiffany blue and beautiful. Before I knew it, the bell had rung and everyone was leaving. I thought that I saw Natasha glance over at me, but when I looked at her, she was staring at her notebook. Shrugging it off, I walked out and down the hall towards maths. The only thing that kept me hanging on was lunch with Jazzy, Amy, and yes, even Paul.

**CPOV**

He caught me looking. How could I be so careless? Alek was too tempting, just sitting there, only a few chairs away. Every time that he wasn't really listening, he would run his hand through his sandy blonde hair and his deep brown eyes would sparkle. I hoped that he was thinking about me. Not Natasha, but Chloe. Could he have moved on that fast? I had just "died", like, a week ago. The bell rang and that was when I was caught. He looked over, but I quickly averted my eyes to my binder. Too close, but at the same time, never close enough.

**APOV**

Finally, thank Bastet, lunch. I got my tasteless chicken and starchy mashed potatoes and sat down with my new "group."

"Hey," Amy said quietly.

"Hi," I replied to Amy and the rest of the group.

"Was this day as bad for you as it was for me?" Jazzy asked with a small tear.

"Just about," Paul replied. Amy nodded and I blinked. Amy saw Natasha and froze.

"What is it, Ames?" Jazzy asked, worried.

"One second," Amy stood up angrily and walked over to Natasha. Whatever, probably PMS.

**CPOV**

She was walking over her…why? My best friend was walking over and I was freaking out.

"Come with me. NOW!" Amy growled.

"Excuse me? Do I know you? I'm Natasha, but I prefer to be called Nat," I replied with a fake-puzzled look.

"Bathroom now, **Chloe**," Amy hissed. I was so shocked that I just complied. Who knew what was coming next.


	3. The 5Step Plan

**A/N Hey. Sorry it took me so long. This chapter is for PaysonAlison, who helped me a lot with this chapter. I'm sorry about all of the POV switches, but it was the only way that I could make the chapters longer but still break where I wanted to. To all of the readers, Alek is going to seem a little heartless in this chapter, but grief makes us do weird things, and we all get to the point where we just want to forget and start over. With that, enjoy chapter three of In Between the Lines, The 5- Step Plan.**

**Chapter 3**

**CPOV**

"How could you do this?" Amy whisper-shouted.

"You don't understand!" I said, trying to get her to listen. She would understand if she knew what was going on.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND? MY BEST FRIEND IS SUPPOSED TO BE **DEAD**, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT SHE JUST DECIDED TO DISAPEAR OF THE FACE OF THE PLANET AND LIE TO EVERYONE!" Amy finally exploded and I flinched.

"Sit down!" I yelled back. She scowled, but did as I asked while I checked underneath all of the stall doors.

"Thank you! Okay, here goes. Brian captured me a week ago, but he couldn't kill me, so he offered me a choice. Either I cut off all ties with everyone that I know and never tell them who I really was, or he would get someone from the Order who would kill me with a smile on their face. I obviously chose the first option. As you probably know, Brian is dead. His dad tracked me down and offered me the same deal, but with different consequences; he said that if I broke the deal or didn't accept it, he would kill all of the people that I love and then kill me. Since this is an undercover deal, there won't be any Orders following me around, but he will know if I start hanging out with you guys or if I tell anyone again. Do you understand the seriousness of this situation? This means that you can't tell anyone or talk to me unless you absolutely have to!" I was surprised that my voice was only shaking a little. Amy, meanwhile, was bawling her eyes out and nodding rapidly. She got up to leave.

"Amy! Wait! I know that this goes against everything I just said, but… do you think that you could keep me posted on everyone? I just couldn't bear it if…I had to hear about something secondhand," I mumbled sheepishly. Amy smiled a little and nodded. As soon as she left, I dropped to the ground and shed tears for Amy, but more for myself. I wiped my eyes and promised myself that those would be the last tears I will shed forever.

**APOV**

When Amy came back to the table sobbing, Jasmine and I both turned and Paul got up and hugged her. That was it. We couldn't live like this anymore.

"That's enough! No more! Stop the tears! Do you really think that Chloe would want us like his? To linger, waiting for her to come home? Well, newsflash! That is never going to happen. I don't know about all of you, but I am taking my life back from grief, and I am doing it for Chloe! Who is with me?" I said angrily.

"You're right. She wouldn't want this. I will never forget you, Chloe," Jazzy looked up to the sky and signed the sign of Bastet that means "in my dreams and memories."

"Yeah, I know Chloe, and she is probably wishing that we would move on. I will always be your sidekick, Chloe," Paul said. Only Amy stayed quiet. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she nodded.

'Okay. We are going to do this in a classic 5-step thing. I'm sure that it will be nice and easy for us to comprehend," I mumbled with a pointed glance towards Paul as I scrawled the plan on a random piece of notebook paper.

**The Plan**

**Step 1: remove every item belonging to or involving Chloe King. You can keep one thing, like a picture or a shirt or something. **

**Step 2: take up a hobby. No superheroes, Paul.**

**Step 3: visit all of her favorite places and say goodbye there.**

**Step 4: pack up everything in her room since we all know that since the emancipation, her mom doesn't give a damn.**

**Step 5: make a new friend. Not to replace Chloe, but to help you through it with an outsider's eye.**

"Step 1 starts tomorrow. Bring everything to school," I said with ice in my voice. Everyone nodded and headed off for 5th period. I looked up to the sky and smirked sadly.

"They need this, love. You know they do. Never doubt, because I will never forget," I whispered to myself as I walked to Spanish. Hey, if I was going to be a pride leader, I would need all of the languages I could learn. Natasha was still sitting there and I smirked at her. She smiled back and I made a decision: she would be the one to save me from myself and from grief.

**CPOV**

After maths, I slipped Amy my new cell number and she texted me with an update. They were getting rid of all of my stuff tomorrow. Oh yeah, and I'm Alek's new love target. Great. I guess its "Let's Screw Me Day." I have seen Alek in action, and I will succumb to his charm if I don't remember that Whitley will kill him. The only thing is that he doesn't stop until he has her, and then he moves on. I wouldn't- couldn't- go through that. Amy says that he is taking it the hardest, even through his tough guy act. Jazzy was a very close second. His confession in the cafeteria almost made me get up, wrap my arms around him and kiss him until he couldn't breathe. He smirked, I smiled, and I died inside when he walked away. I got into my car and drove to my new apartment, which is one floor, exactly, from Alek's. Roger held the door and I got into the elevator.

"Hold it!" a British accent called. I pressed the hold button and none other than CB came through the doors.

"Thanks. Natasha? You live here? What number?" he said with a smirk.

"1703," I mumbled with a blush.

"Well, if it isn't my lucky day! One floor down! You realize that we have connecting elevators, right? I think we are going to be very good friends," he said flirtily with a wink. A look of confusion and despair crossed his face, but he quickly brushed it off and said, "You smell very good." Just to tease and because I wasn't really thinking, I replied, "Okay, crazy non- sequitor man, its called bathing, try it." Alek looked away, and I felt really bad. It was probably for the best. I was determined to get Alek Petrov to give up.

Fat chance.

**APOV**

Just like Chloe. She even smells like her! Damn it! I was on a roll too! Gah! Is that response programmed into all girls or something? Before I knew it, Nat was getting off on the 17th floor and she mumbled, "I'm sorry about her."

"She was a great girl. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to talk about "Let's Screw You Day." I could be a very willing participant in that," I said with my classic smirk. I walked closer until I was only inches from her face.

"I-I said th-that out l-loud?" she said with a blush. Smirk. Nat quickly got off the elevator. It was good to know that the Petrov charm was still intact. She is so much like you, Chloe.


	4. Beach Day

**A/N this is just a filler chapter! It is very important to the story. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up by 11 tonight. If not, then I am very sorry, and it will be up tomorrow. And by the way, I don't own TNLOCK, and I don't know anything about surfing, so please PM me if I got something wrong. Thanks. Here it is!**

**Chapter 4**

**CPOV**

Wow. That was obnoxious and dazzling at the same time. Only Alek could pull that off. As soon as I got to my apartment, I packed a bag for tomorrow. I was going to go to one of my favorite beaches. No one but Amy knew that I loved the beach so much, so I should be safe. The only problem would be keeping this wig on in the water. Choosing not to think about it right now, I grabbed my pink and orange polka dot tote and threw in my navy and white striped towel, sun block, and my favorite red one- piece. I would just wear my brown studded flip flops to school tomorrow. A day at the beach will be great for me. No drama, just sand, waves and serenity.

**APOV**

A beach day would be great for me. I just want to get away from everything. Surfing was one of my favorite hobbies, but I kind of gave it up when I became Mai. My step two is going to be surfing. Tomorrow is Friday, so I grabbed my brown bag and stuffed it with my lucky green towel and red trunks. My board was a classic teak with green racing stripes. In other words, it was epic. After putting my board into my Audi- a close fit- I went up to bed. A beach day sounded incredible. Nothing was better.

**There you have it! Will they finally meet at the beach? Only the next chapter will tell!**


	5. Oh Crap

**A/N I know that I said that I would update right after the last one, but it was my little brother's ninth birthday, and he demanded my attendance to his present- opening celebration. I simply couldn't refuse his little face on his birthday. Very sorry! :)**

**Chapter 5**

**CPOV**

Ahhh, peace. My towel was spread out on the sand and I was sunbathing while watching a super hot surfer ride the waves. That boy can move! Now I wanted to get into the water. I carefully removed my cover- up. I had found a special wig hairspray that was supposed to keep on wigs, even in salt water. The tide was even and the water was surprisingly nice, so I quickly ran up to my shoulders in the water. I had forgotten how much I love the ocean. A wave came over my head and I quickly touched the top of my head. Success! My brown wig was still perched on my head, but just barely. After a few more minutes of playing in the waves, I went up to the boardwalk to buy myself an ice cream and possibly dinner. I leaned down to grab my wallet and a cheeky little dog snatched my wig.

"No, no, NO!" I shouted as I chased the dog up the boardwalk. When I passed the ice cream stand, I felt a strong hand grab my elbow.

"Chloe?" a very confused British voice said.

"Oh Crap."

**APOV**

"Oh Crap." No. this was not her! Chloe was dead. Right? Oh, dang it! She took off. It had to be Chloe. Her eyes, her mouth, her hair. Chloe. I was sure of it.

"WAIT! CHLOE, STOP!" I carefully avoided the meandering people while keeping up a steady pace as I pursued her through the crowd. Several times, I almost had her, but she somehow was able to duck into a store or go through a sidestreet. After what seemed like hours, Chloe was gone and I was furious.

"What the hell?" I screamed at the sky. How is she not dead? Why would she lie? How could she have been hidden for this long? I don't understand any of this! Amy. Amy has to know. If anything funky was going on with Chloe, Amy would know the who, what, when, where and why. I sprinted to my Audi and took off towards Amy's house and answers.

**Tada! There you have it, folks; Alek knows that something is up. Will Amy crack, or will she hold strong? What about Chloe/ Natasha? Jazzy? The next chapter will be really long, but might take me a while. Please review!**


	6. Damn Straight

**A/N here it is! It has a lot more cussing in it than usual. It has been one of those months. Ya'll don't want to hear about my issues though, you want to hear about Chloe's! I don't own TNLOCK or Mr. Weatherbee. He is from Betty and Veronica. **

**Chapter 6**

**APOV (Amy)**

I was listening to music and contemplating the whole Chloe/Natasha thing when none other than Alek Petrov busted into my room.

"WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME?" he screamed.

"What are you talking about? Slow down and explain and I will try to help you! Sheesh! I replied.

"You know exactly what I am talking about!"

"Then remind me!"

"Guess who I saw at the beach today? None other than Miss Chloe King! Last time I checked, she was in a casket six feet under!" he raged. Oh shit. Damn it Chloe! How were you so careless? I guess I better 'fess up.

"Yep. Chloe's alive," I said, trying my hardest to stay nonchalant.

"Where. Is. She?" Alek whispered with a mixture of rage and hope in his eyes.

"I won't tell you! She doesn't want anyone to know, I just happened to stumble upon her. You have to find her if you need her so much!" Anger came over me in a wave as I snapped these words. Alek gave me one last glare and then disappeared through my window. I waited until he was a few rooftops away and then sent the fated text.

"We have a problem.

**CPOV**

Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT! Amy had sent me the text that I hoped I would never see. He had come to her, and she had crumbled like a month-old cookie. Thankfully, she didn't tell him who I was or where I was. I knew that after this mistake, I should just dye my freaking hair, but I found myself buying another wig. My gold locks and Amy were my last reminders of Chloe King, and I refused to part with them. The saleslady had replaced it for free, so I was off to school with and extra $50 in my pocket. Maybe I would go grocery shopping. Or I could buy a new top. Yeah, the top sounds good. I sat down in my seat and random thoughts occupied my head until the bell rang and Fields skipped-literally- in. All of the sudden, electricity ran through my body as Alek took a seat to my left. I snuck a quick glance; he didn't look very good. His blond hair was matted and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to drain out their sparkle. Alek didn't make a joke about me looking at him. He just read a page on a black journal over and over with a desperate look on his face. He looked screwed up. I'm sorry, love. I was trying to prevent this.

**APOV (Alek)**

All through Fields' class, I read the journal and tried to think of more places that Chloe could be. Since Amy had seen her, she had to be in San Fran. Unless she left town after the beach incident. No, just focus on SF for now.

_Places__that__Chloe__could__be_

_Amy's house. No bed or sleeping bag, and Amy was the first place that anyone would look. Chloe isn't stupid._

_Paul's house. Paul couldn't keep a secret if superpowers depended on it._

_Our apartment. Obviously, she isn't there._

_Her house. I will investigate later._

_The park. Chloe is smarter than that._

_The safe-house? As far as I know, she doesn't know where it is._

I had no other ideas, and it was driving me crazy! Why did she do this? We could've been perfectly happy right now, but instead, we are stuck in this shit. Normally, I would call all of the prides, but the other prides would flip and the SF pride would give me their damn sympathetic looks and talks about grief. I only one I could trust was Jazzy. I had a free next period, so I figured I would pay Chloe's old abode a little visit. Maybe jazzy would come.

**JPOV**

As soon as the words "Chloe" and "her stuff" passed Alek's lips, I was in the car, buckled, and ready to go. He chuckled and got into the driver's seat. Lost in my thoughts, we were at Chloe's house in little time. I got out and sprinted to her room. Wait. Something was wrong. Her room looked way too empty. I yanked open her closet door and discovered that most of her clothes were gone. There were just enough in there to not rise suspicion, but I knew her too well for that. She had a lot more clothes than this. I came out and saw Alek putting some of Chloe's books into a box.

"Alek, almost all of her clothes are gone." Bastet, he didn't look surprised. He looked…guilty.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Spit it out.

**CPOV**

Where were they? Amy had texted and said that both Alek and Jasmine had missed 2nd period. Maybe there was a Mai issue. Or maybe…shit. They were at my house.

"Mr. Weatherbee, I have a family emergency! May I go?" I stood up and said.

"Of course, just come in tomorrow to make up this test." I was halfway out the door by the time he said this. Next stop, my house.

As soon as I got there, I climbed up the tree near my window to hear their conversation.

"Yeah, she is alive. We have to find her," Alek whispered urgently.

"I'll call Valentina." Jazzy whipped out her cell, but Alek interrupted her.

"No prides. They will laugh in our faces. If we are going to do this, we go in alone. Amy knows, but she won't help. She and Chloe are in this together." I saw anger and hurt flash across his face. Alek was right though. It was Amy and I against Alek and Jazzy. We were the enemy. I was turning my friends against one another. No. I refuse to turn them against Amy. I had never told Ames where I lived, so I threw my phone into the ocean. We would stop texting and communicating in any way, so they couldn't pressure her. Bastet, please let her understand.

**The next day**

Amy passed me a note at lunch. I pretended to laugh as I read it so no one would see how worried I was.

_**What happened to your phone? Meet me in the bathroom in 5.**_

_**Amy**_

I gulped nervously and got up. It seemed like to short of a walk before I was in front of the turquoise door with _Girls___painted sloppily on it in white paint. I guess I would wing it.

"What happened to your cell? You have some explaining to do!" Amy whisper-shouted.

"I couldn't turn you against them. I couldn't destroy you guys like that."

"You already destroyed us, Nat! Don't you see that?" I stayed silent and her face hardened.

"as soon as I walk out of here, I am on their side. I won't tell them about Nat, but you can be damn well sure that I will tell them everything else," Amy spoke with a deadly tone. I nodded, and my last friend stormed out of the bathroom.

**APOV**

"Are you sure you want to know?" I replied with raised eyebrows.

"If it has anything, and I mean anything, to do with Chloe, then I want to know."

"Okay then. Chloe is alive. When to went to the beach, I saw her running through the boardwalk. I chased her, but she knows that beach a lot better than I do. Trust me Jazzy, I was just as surprised as your face says you are right now. Now I'm trying to find her."

"She is alive?" Jazz mumbled.

"Yeah, she's alive. We have to find her," I whispered.

"I'll call Valentina." That couldn't happen. We would look like fools.

"No prides. They will laugh in our faces. If we are going to do this, we go in alone. Amy knows, but she won't help. She and Chloe are in this together." I couldn't keep the anger and bitterness out of my voice.

"Now, are you in?"

"Of course I'm in. I need my best friend, and the Mai sure as Hell need a Uniter."

"Jazzy, I do believe that is the first bit of profanity that has ever escaped your holy mouth!" I said with a smirk. She smiled back.

"A lot of things have changed."

Damn straight.


	7. On My Own

**A/N sorry that this is so late, but I was in a really bad car accident. Anyway, here we go.**

**On My Own**

**Chapter 7**

**CPOV**

So that was it. No more help. Can I do this on my own?

**APOV(Alek)**

Amy came out of the bathroom fuming. If this were a cartoon, you would probably see steam coming from her ears.

"We need to talk." She spun around quickly and started to walk away. Assuming I was supposed to follow her, I shot Jazzy a look and warily met her in an empty math room.

"Are you ready to give up your information?" I said with a smirk.

"Yep. You might want to write this down," she replied as her lips formed a thin line. Okay, not expecting that. I scrambled to pull a piece of notebook paper and a pen. When I was ready, she continued.

"Her old cell number was ***-***-****, but she probably changed it. Her home number is ***-***-****. She goes to the grocery store pretty much every Thursday. Her favorite grocery store is the Whole Foods by you and Jazzy's apartment. Tomorrow is her mother's birthday, so she will definitely be sending a card, even though her mom hates her. Her P.O. box is number 281. anyway, you should probably be able to catch her at least once," Amy rattled out, her eyes cast downward the entire time.

"Welcome to the dark side, Ms. Amy." With a smirk, I walked out to my car. Valentina would cover the receptionist, probably thinking that my absence had something to do with my Mai duties. Whatever. It was time to plan our post office meeting.

**CPOV**

I wasn't taking any chances today. My brown wig was off, but that was only because the guy at the post office gives me a discount if he knows who I am. You can tell he pities me. Eh, free delivery today was worth it. This was just a quick birthday card dropoff. I don't even know why I still did this. Maybe because I still care? No, it was probably just imagining her pissed off face when she received yet another card. I stepped into the eons-long line to reach the drop-off box and quickly did a perimeter scan. No one important in sight. Just then, the small bell on the post office door rang. Shit! How did Alek find me? I quickly stepped out of line and walked towards the bathroom. Once safely inside a stall, I put on my brown wig and added some heavy eye makeup and red lipstick. No way would he recognize me now! I smiled to myself in the mirror and walked out.

"Excuse me, miss. Have you seen a girl about your height with blue eyes and blonde hair? She was probably in line for the drop off box?" Alek quickly asked as I turned the corner. Just his voice made me almost melt. Not to mention the sandy blonde hair, the honey eyes; I missed him so much.

"No. sorry." I lowered my voice and brushed past him, trying to cover up the tears. Once outside, I jumped up onto the roof and ran home. Five houses over, I knew he had seen the card in my hand when a large growl ripped through the silence of the night.

**APOV**

At 5:30, I sauntered into the city post office. I thought I saw a flash of blonde hair head towards the bathroom, so I followed. Unfortunately, a brunette with brown eyes heavily done in makeup walked out of the bathroom. Maintaining hope, I questioned her.

"Excuse me, miss. Have you seen a girl about your height with blue eyes and blonde hair? She was probably in line for the drop off box?" I asked quickly, hoping not to lose her.

"No. Sorry." She quickly walked by me and out the door. About 10 minutes later, I realized that she had a birthday card in her hand that clearly said _From Chloe_ on the front. As fast as I could, I ran outside and tried to spot her. Coming to terms with the fact that she was long gone, a loud snarl ripped through me and I punched the wall. Why was she doing this? Doesn't she love me? Never mind. Tomorrow, I would visit our local Whole Foods.

**A/N I know that Alek is a little out of character, but I wanted to show that he is desperate to get her back, and isn't really himself when it comes to losing Chloe.**


	8. All I Wanted Was Some Milk!

**Chapter 8**

**All I Wanted Was Some Milk!**

**CPOV**

**A/N are you ready for some of Jasmine's wrath? Then buckle up! By the way, to the people who asked about my car accident, everyone is fine. The worst was my bro, who broke both of his legs. I didn't even think that was possible! Anyway, here we go.**

I was out buying some groceries when the second wave of attack came. Alek and Jasmine, making their way down the aisles of my favorite grocery store, on the one day of the week that I ever shopped on. So what if they didn't know I was Natasha, this was still ambush! I quickly ducked into the bread aisle. Thankfully, today I was in full costume. I had on my brown wig- straightened- my brown contacts, fake glasses, and my "Natasha clothes": a grey and white striped long-sleeve shirt with flare jeans and converse as opposed to Chloe's floral shirts, skinnies and combat boots. Hopefully, I could shop in peace. No such luck.

"Hi! Natasha, right? I didn't know you shopped here," Jazz said as I turned around.

"Oh yeah. Jasmine. I live close by and this place has a great selection of, um, wheat-free pumpkin-kiwi-snapdragon bread!" I said, trying to sound enthusiastic about the random bread that I had grabbed on the spot. She raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting my alleged love of health bread.

"Yeah, I'm sure the snapdragons make it…Zesty," Alek said, appearing out of nowhere with his ever-present smirk.

"Oh, h-hi Alek. What brings you guys to our local Whole Foods?" I asked. Ugh! That sounded so fake!

"We heard about their sublime selection of breads made of garden flowers. Have you tried the pansy bread? Quite excellent," Alek replied sarcastically.

"Heh heh… well, I should be going," I murmured, turning around quickly.

"We know that you are a part of this," Jasmine said accusingly. I turned back around and saw them both with serious expressions and arms crossed.

"A part of what?" I replied, trying to play dumb.

"You know. I know you do! Did you really think that we wouldn't notice that you showed up just as she disappeared? She sent you to watch us, didn't she?" Jasmine whispered menacingly. Something inside of me warmed. Jazzy was willing to threaten a perfect stranger, just because she thought that I knew something about…me. I decided to play along with their theory.

"Look, she doesn't want to talk to you guys. Just let it be, alright? Chloe is only trying to protect you," I whispered, my own name tasting funny on my lips. Suddenly, I was up against a wall near the bathrooms with Jasmine's claws tickling my neck. One move, and my throat would be slit.

"That is not how this is going to go. Either you tell us where she is and why she left, or I will kill you, and enjoy every drop of blood that spills from you. Answer. My. Questions." Holy shit. I was seriously scared. She was not lying.

"She's still in town. That's all I can tell you. Now, if you'll let me up, I'll explain why she's gone," I said, my voice not shaking, surprisingly. Alek reached out and grabbed Jazzy's arm, signaling her to let me up. She reluctantly released me, and I recited my tale. I watched their faces change from confusion, to shock, and finally, to anger.

"So who are you in all of this?" Alek asked tightly.

"I'm Natasha Waterhouse. Chloe and I have been friends for a long time, and she saved my life once. I agreed to follow you guys around for the rest of my life, alerting her if something goes wrong. I forfeited my sad excuse of a life to help someone who deserves it." I guess it was all partially true. Jasmine walked away with her head in her hands. I thought it was all over, but then I noticed Alek walking towards me. He put both hands on my shoulders and whispered the most heartbreaking words that I had ever heard.

"Please. You have to tell me where she is. I just need to see her. It's killing me inside. I…I think I love her." My heart melted. I was about to pull off my wig, but then a sickening image flashed through my mind. Amy, Jazzy, Paul and Alek, lying dead on my doorstep. Their cold, glassy eyes seemed to stare right at me, unblinking. No. I blinked back tears and murmured, "She loves you to," before running out of his now-limp arms, milk forgotten.


	9. Teaser Chapter

**A/N um, hi! I'm sorry about the long wait, and this even isn't a real chapter. *cowers behind laptop* It's just a teaser. The real chapter should be up by tonight. Please don't hurt me. **

APOV

I freaking hate Whole Foods. Their overpriced, organic veggies always came off as conceited and almost…mocking, to me. Its like they were rubbing it in my face that they were the best veggies, and no one could be as high a caliber as them. Yeah, no thanks. I'll hit up Safeway. Yes, Alek Petrov is annoyed by an artichoke. Before today, I just disliked Whole Foods. Now, I full-out despise it.

Jasmine came back over, wiping away some leftover tears and not even trying to smile.

"Let's go, we're done here." I linked my arm with Jazzy's, and we began a long march through a grocery store that would be forever associated with pain.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N well, here's the chapter. There will only be one more chapter after this, but don't worry, there's a great ending. Enjoy!**

CPOV

The next day at school was hell. I walked past the same blue lockers, went to the same classes, sat at the same table at lunch, and yet, everything was different. Amy and Paul wouldn't even look at me. If I was walking towards Jasmine in the hallway, she would turn and go in the opposite direction. And still, the way Alek looked at me was the worst. His once-warm brown eyes were dull, almost grey. Those lips that used to look perfectly kissable, were pursed and thin. There was only one word to describe how he looked: desolate.

I was sitting at my same lunch table, picking at the ever-scary mystery meat, and I knew that everything was different. And that killed me. Time to form a plan.

I wasn't sure if this would do any good, but hopefully they would drop it after this. I was going to tell them the situation. As Chloe. But first, Part A. I quickly walked over to Alek and Jazzy's red Audi and rapped on the driver's side window. Alek rolled the window down.

"Natasha," he said coldly. Neither of them looked at me. I stoned myself inside and tried to act carefree.

"Buck up, Petrov. I've got good news. I told Chloe what happened at Whole Foods, and she got pretty upset. So upset, in fact, that she wants to explain the situation to you. In person," I finished with a smile. They looked at me at the same time. Both of their brown eyes were lit with joy, and Jazzy quickly blurted,

"Where and when?" I smiled wider. That was more like it.

"She'll meet you at your apartment at 8:00 sharp." With that, I turned on my heel and walked off towards my car. Even without my Mai hearing, I could hear their cheers.

I reached my apartment at 5:00 and began my transformation. Step one: shower. As Natasha, I used a passion fruit shampoo. Hey, Alek could've smelled me! I squirted my old lavender shampoo into my hair, making sure I masked Natasha's tropical product. Then, I washed my face, getting rid of all of Natasha's heavy makeup. Once I was convinced that I smelled thoroughly Chloe, I got out of the shower and blew dry my hair. I had missed my blonde waves. Then, I applied some brown eyeshadow, light brown eyeliner, and pretty pink lip gloss. No more Natasha! Finally, I put on a dark blue cami, leather jacket and floral skirt. Sighing in equal parts contentment and nervousness, I checked the wall clock. 7:55. Perfect timing. I left my apartment through a side door near the elevators and started walking towards Valentina's apartment. Standing in front of their door, I knocked once.

And again.

Again.

Finally, I kicked down the door.

"Alek! Jazzy! Valentina!" I cried out. I ran through the house, taking in the disarray. Chairs were flipped. Claw marks ripped through the walls. And there, clearly placed where I would see it, was a piece of heavy stationary.

"No. No," I sobbed as I picked it up and read.

_ Chloe,_

_You shouldn't have disobeyed me. Five lives will be taken, but I'll give you one last chance to ensure that it isn't your close ones' lives._

_114 New York Ave._

_Be there by midnight or they all die._

It wasn't signed. He didn't have to.


End file.
